Basic Counseling Skills
MCFC/MHC/CC Residency 1
Learning Objectives
• From this presentation, you will be given
information to:
– Apply basic of counseling skills
– Articulate why counseling skills are important
– Explain the importance of rapport building
– Define and discuss SOLER skills
– Discuss appropriate use of verbal and nonverbal
communication skills.
May 2011 Revised
Setting the Stage
• Although your ultimate approach to helping will be
influenced by what the client needs, what the client
will respond to best, and what stage you are in,
ultimately you need to create an environment that
promotes feelings of safety, respect, and
understanding.
• The bulk of this relationship building occurs in the
beginning stage of counseling and there are skills
that are more effective for use during this time.
May 2011 Revised
The PERSON of the counselor
 Voice – have a soothing, comforting tone
 Eye contact - be natural with eye contact, be as
animated as possible with your facial expression
(but be careful showing shock…..)
 Language - keep in mind education level,
experiences of those with whom you are working
but be genuine in your own vocabulary
 Demonstration of confidence in process and
directives
 EMPATHY
May 2011 Revised
The Counseling Setting
 Also consider your office:
 Arrangement of furniture - no big objects b/w you and
client,
 Credentials – hang degree, licenses, certifications,
registrations on wall
 Your comfort level
May 2011 Revised
Understanding the CONTEXT of the client
• Remember first to understand the client in
his or her context—
• Consider:
– The person of the client
– How the client acts in session will elicit
responses form you (if client is withdrawn, you
may use skills that help bring him/her out; if client
gregarious, you may use skills to cut-off)
– Sensitivity to diversity
May 2011 Revised
The Client-Counselor Relationship
• How the relationship itself assists you as a counselor:
 Diagnostic aid
 How the client acts in session is a clue to how he/she acts
outside of session—patterns of behavior
 Interpersonal engagement
 This allows you to have influence over the client – be careful of
this as you carry power in your role…
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social modeling,
directives and challenges
your reactions to their material
how you deal with immediacy issues, etc..
 Unfinished business
 Transference and countertransference reactions can be grist for
the mill
 You can use the relationship to help heal from past (think Rogers
and Gloria)
May 2011 Revised
The Client-Counselor Relationship
• Personal support system
– Research suggests the number one factor in clients
improvement is support system (it’s best if this is both
outside and inside the therapy)
– Counselors should support clients, be a cheerleader for
them
– Support communicates
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someone is here for you
you can count on someone
I might not approve of what you are doing, but I approve of you
there is a person in your life who is reliable and dependable
you will not be taken advantage of
my job is to help you get what you want
May 2011 Revised
The Client-Counselor Relationship
• Authentic engagement
– You will like some clients and dislike others, but
you must be genuine and can use this as
immediacy
– If you have have strong reactions to liking or
disliking a client it is imperative that you discuss
this in supervision/ consultation.
May 2011 Revised
Basic Attending Skills
• Purpose:
– To help client tell story
– Draw out appropriate background and contextual
information
– Communicate understanding
– Facilitate deeper level of exploration make
connections
– Demonstrate empathy
– Provide emotional support to the client
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Minimal Encourages
• Prompts
– Verbal (uh huh, go on, yes, hmmm,)
– Nonverbal (bodily mvmts, gestures, nods)
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Probes
• Probes should be used to help keep clients engaged in
dialogue and provide client with enough structure to achieve
concreteness and clarity while providing an opportunity to
get necessary details of story.
• Probes can also help clients get a balanced view of problem
situations and opportunities.
• Probes help clients get deeper into issues, move forward,
and help in exploration of issues.
• Probes can also challenge clients.
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Probes
• Statements
– “Tell me….” “I wonder….” “It’s still not clear to me…” “I’m
not sure I understand…..”
• Phrases that are actually questions or requests
– “Share with me what you are thinking…”
• Restating key words with question tone of voice
– Example
• Cl: I am tired of it all.
• Co: Tired?
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Questions
When to ask questions:
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Initially. “Where would you like to begin today?”
When you need specific information
For clarification (but you could always do a
paraphrase)
To get things back on track. “Earlier you said…
what is….”
To bring it in the here and now
When you want to make a point or a connection.
“What were you thinking just now when you
heard me say that?”
When you want to define goals.
When you want to motivate the client into action.
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Questions
Problems with Questions
• Bombarding client
• Too many questions in a row (particular text reads:
then you have just asked 2 stupid questions!!)
Using questions effectively
• If you can make it a statement it’s better!
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Tell me….
Explain that…
I wonder….
Talk more about that….
• Good idea to mix probes, statements, reflections
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Questions
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Good and Bad questions
– Avoid why. Why?
• It sounds judgmental (think of when you got into
trouble as a kid)
• B/c clients don’t know why. (Think of when you had
to give a reason why you got into trouble)
• “Why” questions can be restated, sound less
accusatory and elicit the same information. Instead
of “why did you do that?” you may consider “Can
you tell me how you made that decision? How did
that work for you?”
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Questions
• Good and Bad Questions:
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Open and Closed
• Open questions:
– help elaborate and enrich the client story
– help bring out the concrete specifics of the
client’s world
» what would an example be?
– Closed gives basically a yes/no response
– Fluff
• If you are trying to fill “space”, it’s probably not a
useful question
• If you can reflect or use another skill, it’s always
better
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Clarifying and Summarizing
This is not restating or parroting, but summarizing. This
shows the client you are paying attention.
What is important?
• Listen to what your heard
• Ask yourself what is underlying message?
Minisummarization:
• A sentence stem: “I hear you say…” or “In your point
of view…” or “Looks like…”
• Use key words of clients
• Stay true to client’s ideas.. they will correct if you are
wrong (and that’s okay!)
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Clarifying and Summarizing
– Summarize themes of long dialogue
– Summarize at beginning of new session
– Summarize at end of session
– Clarify/Summarize when situation seems to not
be going anywhere or client is rambling
– Clarify/Summarize when client gets stuck or
when clients needs new perspective
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Nonverbals
Both client and counselor nonverbals can
communicate volumes.
• Client nonverbals can give context to the information the
client is sharing, can support or discredit the validity of what
the client is expressing, and can serve to provide additional
understanding to words the client is using.
• Counselor nonverbals also give clients clues about
counselor confidence, degree to which counselor is listening
to them, relationship trustworthiness.
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Nonverbals
• Nonverbal information can be gained through
observation of:
– Facial expressions
– Eye Contact (*consider cultural differences)
– Appearance (clothing, grooming)
– Gestures/Body movements (i.e., fidgety)
– Spatial behavior (how did client position
him/herself)
– Posture
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Non-Verbal Attending
• What information can be gathered from
nonverbals?
– Assessment of general mood
– Clues to inner states
– Mental status
– Verbal and nonverbal congruency
– Signals of distress
– Unconscious reactions
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Nonverbals
• List/ discuss nonverbal behaviors associated
with these feelings:
– Anger
– Fear
– Happiness
– Sadness
May 2011 Revised
Skill: Counselor Nonverbals
• So, what nonverbal behaviors indicate
interest and caring?
– SOLER (sit squarely, open posture, lean in, eye
contact, and relax)
– Also, your facial expression will show
appropriate response
– Minimal encouragers: head nods, uh huhs…
May 2011 Revised
Activity
• Large Group Activity:
– Play Telephone Game:
– One person taps the next person on the shoulder
and tells a 1-2 sentence story. That person will
then tap the next person on the shoulder and
share the same story. The story can only be told
once per person. The last person to hear the
story tells it to the group.
May 2011 Revised
Activity
• Did the ending message remain the same as
the beginning message?
• WHY?
- No context
- No non-verbal
- No “confirmation”
May 2011 Revised
Activity
• Now, play the game with these instructions:
– One person chooses a feeling, everyone closes
eyes and starter taps person to right who then
opens eyes and starter conveys emotion through
facial expression… goes round the room – last
person verbally identifies feeling
May 2011 Revised
Activity - HOMEWORK
• Watch one television interview and reflect on
it to identify nonverbals you can pick up on –
for both interviewer and interviewee. For our
purposes watch a television show (Dr. Phil,
CSI, Law & Order, or any show that includes
interviews and watch for the facilitators of
communications.)
May 2011 Revised
References
Egan, G. (2010). The skilled helper: A problem management
and opportunity development approach to helping (9th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole (Cengage Learning). ISBN: 9780-495-60189-0 or 0-495-60189-6 hard.
Egan, G. (2010). Exercises in helping skills: A manual to
accompany the skilled helper (9th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole (Cengage Learning). ISBN: 978-0-495-80632-5
or 0-495-80632-3 soft.
May 2011 Revised